Chicken Tikka Salad
Chicken Tikka Salad is an Indian inspired salad with full, well rounded flavors and texture. You will love this change up, it's unique and mouth watering good.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- large skillet or frying pan
- bowls for mixing
- small blender or food processor
Ingredients
Tikka Chicken
- .75-1 lb chicken breast
- 2 Tbsp tikka masala paste *see notes
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp milk *any kind
Salad
- 8-10 cups romaine lettuce, chopped about 2 large heads of romaine
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 10 oz canned chickpeas rinsed & drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp olive oil
Tikka Masala Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp tikka masala paste
- 3 Tbsp cilantro
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2-4 Tbsp water add as needed to thin sauce, do not add at once!
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, smaller is fine, just be sure they are all the same size. In a large bowl whisk the tikka paste, yogurt, lemon, garlic and milk. Make sure the tikka paste is mixed in well, you may need to use a fork to mash any chunks. Add the chicken to the bowl and marinate for 10 minutes - 24 hours (any time in between is great). Keep the bowl covered and in the fridge for the duration of marinating.
- Preheat oven to 375º. Drain and rinse chickpeas, add them to a baking tray with diced bell peppers. In a small bowl mix seasonings. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over the veggies and then sprinkle the seasoning, rub in so everything is evenly coated. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the peppers are softened *keep an eye on them, oven temps vary greatly*
- Dice up all the other salad toppings, tomato, onion, romaine. Set aside. In a large skillet heat up 1 Tbsp oil on medium heat, add in the marinated chicken. Cook the chicken for about 10-14 minutes, turning a few times for an even cook or until it's no longer pink and 165º internally.
- While the chicken is cooking, blend the dressing in a small blender or food processor and set aside. Once the chicken is finished cooking, assemble the salad. Start with romaine, add onion, tomato, chickpeas/pepper mix, chicken and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
*simmer sauce will also work. You can also use red curry paste if needed.
*to make this dairy free, use vegan sour cream and unsweetened/plain nut milk.
*store leftovers in an airtight container, with dressing on the salas it will last up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 742mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 7347IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg